What Intelligence Needs

I came across the following quote in today's HBL and was so impressed by it that I wanted to pass it along. It's from a January 4 NY Post article by George Friedman and was sent in by a writer describing his experience in the intelligence community and his recognition that "intelligence failures" are a result of a culture that discourages people from raising their heads above the crowd:

"Porter Goss, the new head of the CIA, is cleaning house. He needs to remember one thing to be successful: The analyst has one primary virtue: courage. He is not afraid to stand alone, he does not need to be well liked, and he does not need the good fellowship of others. He needs to be right.... The Directorate of Intelligence can only fix itself if it prevents displays of courage from becoming acts of suicide. An institution that encourages brilliance, iconoclasm and courageous insights can save American lives."

Courage is a primary requirement of intelligence. Intelligence as such, not just the "military information" variety.

Methane on the rocks

I have seen the pictures sent back from Titan by Huygens via Cassini this week and all I can say is "WOW!"

It's strange that images that could be almost reassuringly familiar could actually depict such an alien reality. What at first glance seems like unremarkable shorelines and river deltas is made remarkable by the fact that the features in these images are on a very cold planet very much farther from the Sun than the Earth, and the features were formed by methane rain washing down over water ice.

Methane on the rocks, anyone?

Are they thinking?

A report in The Oklahoman notes that the State of Oklahoma is trying to attract a facility to "refurbish" tanker aircraft for Airbus. Yeah, right! Brilliant move. The Pentagon is going to really want to go with Boeing's biggest foriegn competitor to get tankers for America's military.

Ah, Oklahoma's "economic development" officials!

What a bunch of idiots!

Cannibalizing Kubrick

Taschen is coming out with The Stanley Kubrick Archives, a massive, image-heavy display of artifacts from Kubrick's personal collections. The book will be 544 pages long and cost $200!

While I'm sure the book will be a welcome addition to the literature on Kubrick and his films, I am horrified to see that Kubrick's own personal 70-millimeter print of 2001: A Space Odyssey - surely a priceless artifact by any standard - is being dismantled to provide a bonus to those who puchase a copy of the first print run, which will include a strip of 12 frames from that print. How does this show respect for Kubrick's legacy and a commitment to keeping it intact for future generations? I hope that people who are known for their commitment to preserving films, such as Martin Scorsese, get up in arms over this shocking practice.

Having said that, I just have to point out one astonishing image from Taschen's catalog entry on the book: it is from the scene near the end of 2001 in which Keir Dullea, playing the character of astronaut David Bowman, is standing in his space suit in an eerily-lit room full of period furniture and paintings. I could write a book about the layers of meaning in just this one image alone. But what makes the image - as included in The Stanley Kubrick Archives - all the more astonishing - even jarring! - is a hand intruding from the left edge of the frame, holding a clapboard with scene information written on it! Obviously, this image is taken from a frame at the beginning of that shot.

I have to say it again: astonishing!

Taxes, altruism and the Gazette

Richard Prawdzienski has a fine editorial printed in this week's Oklahoma Gazette. You can access it here:

tinyurl.com/4rz35

Or you can go to www.okgazette.com, roll your cursor down to News in the navigation bar on the left side, and click on Commentary. Richard's piece is below another piece.

Because I saw Richard's piece as a fine opportunity to say something about the relationship between morality and government in truly fundamental terms, I have sent the following letter to the editor in response. We'll see if they print it. I do want to point out one thing that I could have added but chose to leave out, and that is Ayn Rand's contention that in the battle to achieve true freedom - that is, complete laissez-faire capitalism - taxes would be the last detail that would need to be addressed. I don't for a moment think that she meant that one should never take the opportunity to do something about taxes if such an opportunity presented itself, however.

Re: A taxing situation

Kudos to Richard Prawdzienski for having the intellectual clarity required to recognize the true relationship between taxes and morality, and for having the courage to say something about it in public. Who will define and regulate kindness, indeed?

Too bad Prawdzienski didn't take his argument to the final step, by naming the ultimate cause of the situation, which is the bankrupt morality of altruism. Only a morality which demands that human beings place anyone - or thing - else but themselves first, a morality based on a view of human beings as helpless monsters which must be emasculated, chained and taken care of in order to prevent us from destroying each other, could justify the idea that some people should have the authority and power to tell other people what to do with their own money, property and lives. If such people are driven to regulate kindness, it can only be because they have no confidence that individual human beings are capable of kindness, when left to themselves.

If this view of human nature is as insulting to you as it is to me, ask yourself what that says about the true nature of altruism, and of those who profess to uphold it.

Rob Abiera

Update: January 21st -

Actually, on thinking about this piece a little bit more since I sent it off, I wish I had put a couple of things a little bit differently. I should have written:

Kudos to Richard Prawdzienski for having the intellectual clarity required to recognize that there is a relationship between taxes and morality

It was the fact that Richard focused on the relationship between taxes and morality that I was struck by in the first place. But Richard did not go all the way and identify the true nature of that relationship; however, he did set up what I saw as a perfect opportunity to provide that identification. Unfortunately I didn't give myself enough time to completely think that through before I sent the piece in.

And:

If this monstrous view of human nature is as insulting to you as it is to me,

I think these edits would have gotten my intended meaning across a little more clearly.

Today I got a phone call from the editor of the Gazette asking permission to print my letter!


Update: January 29th -

Well, I should have posted something on Wednesday, but I didn't get around to it. Anyway, my letter was printed in the January 26th edition! And it's the second one! Right after Joe Quigley, who is the lead letter this issue.